By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, gave visitors to Graceland an inside look at her life with the King of Rock 'n' Roll at his Memphis estate on Wednesday as she celebrated her 44th birthday with the opening of a new exhibit.
The exhibit is called "Elvis... Through His Daughter's Eyes," and displays artifacts including Lisa Marie's baby footprints, tricycle, a record player and her crib, said Kevin Kern, director of public relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises.
"This exhibit is something she has been very excited about," Kern said, adding that it also includes family photos and home movies featuring Lisa Marie's childhood and her relationship with her father before he died in 1977.
On an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday, Lisa Marie Presley showed off a scarf on which Elvis had written the words "I love my Lisa, Daddy" from 1972.
She told the show that she remembered her father singing "Can't Help Falling in Love" to her. She said the new exhibit includes some of her dad's "most amazing clothes ever" and a small chest containing personal items he took with him on tour, including a photo of his father and his driver's license.
Twenty-five people were chosen from more than 2,000 entries for the first day of the exhibit, and each was allowed to bring a guest.
Among the visitors was Tom Termeer, 39, who with his wife Kristen, 35, made the 15-hour drive from Ontario, Canada.
Termeer had been scheduled for a meeting with his doctor Wednesday in preparation for brain surgery to help relieve pain from cluster headaches. But once he discovered that he had won the lottery to meet Lisa Marie Presley, "I had to blow that appointment off to come here," he said.
"One of the biggest reasons I did that is my surgery at the end of the month. Everybody said 'Be Positive,' and I am, but there is a slight chance it may not work and a slight chance I may die," Termeer said. "This is filling the bucket list."
He said that when Lisa Marie Presley learned how far he had traveled and what he is facing she spent extra time with him and his wife.
"It was overwhelming. It was hard to control my composure," Termeer said, adding, "I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out."
It was his second trip to Graceland, which draws an average of 600,000 visitors a year, but his wife's first.
"Elvis was my guy," he said.
(Reporting By Tim Ghianni; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Cynthia Johnston)
NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, gave visitors to Graceland an inside look at her life with the King of Rock 'n' Roll at his Memphis estate on Wednesday as she celebrated her 44th birthday with the opening of a new exhibit.
The exhibit is called "Elvis... Through His Daughter's Eyes," and displays artifacts including Lisa Marie's baby footprints, tricycle, a record player and her crib, said Kevin Kern, director of public relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises.
"This exhibit is something she has been very excited about," Kern said, adding that it also includes family photos and home movies featuring Lisa Marie's childhood and her relationship with her father before he died in 1977.
On an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday, Lisa Marie Presley showed off a scarf on which Elvis had written the words "I love my Lisa, Daddy" from 1972.
She told the show that she remembered her father singing "Can't Help Falling in Love" to her. She said the new exhibit includes some of her dad's "most amazing clothes ever" and a small chest containing personal items he took with him on tour, including a photo of his father and his driver's license.
Twenty-five people were chosen from more than 2,000 entries for the first day of the exhibit, and each was allowed to bring a guest.
Among the visitors was Tom Termeer, 39, who with his wife Kristen, 35, made the 15-hour drive from Ontario, Canada.
Termeer had been scheduled for a meeting with his doctor Wednesday in preparation for brain surgery to help relieve pain from cluster headaches. But once he discovered that he had won the lottery to meet Lisa Marie Presley, "I had to blow that appointment off to come here," he said.
"One of the biggest reasons I did that is my surgery at the end of the month. Everybody said 'Be Positive,' and I am, but there is a slight chance it may not work and a slight chance I may die," Termeer said. "This is filling the bucket list."
He said that when Lisa Marie Presley learned how far he had traveled and what he is facing she spent extra time with him and his wife.
"It was overwhelming. It was hard to control my composure," Termeer said, adding, "I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out."
It was his second trip to Graceland, which draws an average of 600,000 visitors a year, but his wife's first.
"Elvis was my guy," he said.
(Reporting By Tim Ghianni; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Cynthia Johnston)
